Twitch is an up-and-coming social media platform that enables brands and creators to connect with millions of viewers. With people tuning in daily to watch their favorite streamers, the marketing potential on Twitch is massive.
In this guide, we cover how to get started with Twitch, from finding the right creators to launching your first Twitch campaign. We've also rounded up insights from top creator marketing experts in our recent webinar. Their firsthand experiences can help you make Twitch influencer marketing work for your brand.
Whether you're new to the platform or looking to sharpen your strategy, we've got the insights to help you make the most of Twitch influencer marketing. Let’s dive in.
What is Twitch?
Twitch is a live streaming social media platform owned by Amazon. Users can watch other people playing games, interact with other users, or create their own livestreams.
Twitch currently has approximately 8.36 million active streamers. The platform is extremely popular among gamers, as it has a ton of video game live streaming content and eSports competitions.
The platform isn’t just for gamers, though. In fact, the most popular category is “just chatting.” And there’s a growing number of channels focused on music, lifestyle and creative content.
Twitch may not be the largest platform, but its users are highly engaged. According to data from StreamCharts, Twitch has 4.7M active channels as of March 2024. Up to 4.6M viewers tune in at any one time, stacking up to an impressive 1.6 Bn (yes, billion) hours watched in total per month.
Twitch vs. YouTube: What’s the difference?
Twitch is focused on live-streaming games, chatting with viewers in real-time, and building a community.
YouTube is a video-sharing platform. While YouTube does offer a livestream format, creators usually upload pre-recorded videos.
Both options have pros and cons.
Twitch is a great choice for live engagement and niche communities. Many creators on Twitch have highly engaged niche audiences that will chat with them for hours—and listen to their brand and product recommendations. Twitch’s chat is a bit like teleshopping: the creator introduces the brand and answers questions live.
YouTube is more of a longterm game, as videos can be watched weeks or months later. YouTube also gives brands more room to monitor and edit before the video goes live. For example, a creator can share the script with the brand for feedback and approval. Whereas with Twitch, everything happens in real-time.
You also have to consider if your audience is actually on Twitch. YouTube’s broader user base can be better for reaching certain audiences.
Twitch audience: Who uses Twitch?
Twitch has more than 31M daily active visitors - but who are they really?
Twitch’s user base is primarily male, and fairly young. Over 70% of Twitch viewers are aged 18-34 and 63 % of adult Twitch users in the U.S are male.
English is the most popular language on Twitch, with 1.1M average concurrent viewers (number of people tuning in at the same time) and 1.4M unique channels.
Portuguese, Spanish, French and German also have a strong presence, with 93k German channels and 162k average concurrent viewers.
Source: StreamCharts
Twitch’s user base is mostly made up of gamers. So, if your brand wants to reach gamers, Twitch could be very effective. That said, not all Twitch content is gaming. “Just chatting” is more popular than the likes of Grand Theft Auto, League of Legends, and Fortnite:
Source: StreamCharts
Top Twitch creators
According to data from TwitchTracker, the top Twitch creators as of March 2024 are Jynxzi, Kaicenat, Gaules, Tarik, and Ibai. Their live streams attract 60-90K average viewers.
Source: TwitchTracker
How to find influencers on Twitch
There are a many ways to find influencers on Twitch:
- Manual search: Dive into Twitch and explore channels yourself. This way, you can familiarize yourself with creators and their content, and see how engaged their audience is.
- Outsourcing: Get an agency to do the legwork. They understand your brand’s needs and can search for suitable influencers for you.
- Twitch tools: Specialized tools like TwitchTracker and Sully Gnome can show you stats like follower counts and growth. This gives you a general overview of who the big streamers are, and which channels and categories are popular.
- Storyclash: You can use Storyclash to find influencers on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. We don’t have a specific database for Twitch yet, but many creators on, for example, YouTube also have a presence on Twitch.
How to use Twitch for influencer marketing
Want to get started with Twitch and launch your first creator campaign? Follow these steps.
- Find the right creators
Look for streamers whose content aligns with your brand's values and interests. Their audience should mirror your target demographic. For example: If you are a lifestyle brand and your target audience is aged 25-39, you might want to consider streamers focused on World of Warcraft who have a more mature following. If your target audience is younger, Fortnite streamers could be a better fit.
- Reach out
Contact potential collaborators directly through Twitch or their preferred communication channels. Personalize your message to show genuine interest in their work.
- Choose placement type
There are various ways a creator can promote your brand on Twitch, including shout-outs, product placements, giveaways, discount codes, and sponsored streams. Your choice will depend on your goals and the influencer you’re working with.
- Negotiate terms
Discuss and agree on the scope of the collaboration, including deliverables, timelines, and compensation. Transparency here sets the foundation for a successful partnership. And don’t forget to set up an influencer contract.
- Provide a brief
Outline your campaign goals and expectations while leaving room for their creative input. You want the content to feel authentic and match their style. You can get a headstart with our influencer briefing template.
- Launch the campaign
Coordinate with the influencer on the campaign launch, ensuring they have all the resources they need to create engaging content. Remember, Twitch is live, so you won’t be able to reshoot the video or make changes later. The creator needs to nail it the first time.
- Analyze the results
Use analytics tools to track the campaign's performance. Look at engagement rates, viewer numbers, and audience feedback to measure success and inform future campaigns.
The key to Twitch influencer marketing is building genuine partnerships that resonate with the platform's live, interactive audience.
Tips for success on Twitch from top influencer marketers
We held a webinar with top influencer marketers and asked them for their advice on how to approach Twitch. This was what they had to say.
- Preparation is key
“We spend a lot of time on preparation. We have a direct call with every creator, even if they are really big, because we’re interested in long-term partnerships and we want to work with people who genuinely believe in our brand. They don’t have to know every single detail about our products but if they can explain to us why they think HOLY is cool, then we feel confident that they will be able to explain it to their community, too.”
Julian Rittmeier, Partnership Manager at HOLY
- Leave enough space for creativity
“It’s essential to give the creator enough freedom, so they can do something cool that stands out when integrating the product into their content and the call-to-action. On the other hand, it’s also important to give the creator enough support to ensure they understand the brand and the product.”
Felix Müller, Influencer Manager DACH at Holzkern
- Avoid strict briefs
“The briefing shouldn’t be too prescriptive. I don’t recommend telling the influencer exactly what to do and say. There are some exceptions, like with health claims. But it’s better to give the influencer guidelines rather than tell them you can’t do that, or that, or that. Otherwise it’s not authentic.”
Tom Brandlmeier, Co-Founder at empfehlenswert
- Take part in the live stream to answer questions
“Sometimes we join the chat for a while when the creator talks about our product for the first time. That way, we’re on hand to answer any questions. It’s time-consuming but it’s worth it if questions come up that are very specific.”
Julian Rittmeier, Partnership Manager at HOLY
Final thoughts
Diving into Twitch influencer marketing opens up new ways to engage with fresh audiences and drive awareness and sales for your brand. Good luck with your Twitch journey! If you’d like to learn more about influencer marketing, check out our strategy guide or check out our TikTok influencer marketing playbook.